The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-27

was a faster runner than / was, drew my
pistol and fired three or four times more to
raise an alarm than toinjure the fellow He
didn't brighten at all, but the shots were sue
cessful as they brought my neighbor to the
scene, and we had no trouble in capturing
the man. He refused to answer any ques-
tions on our way to the station house. and
on his arrival preserved his policy of silence
before the desk. So far as any of us knew
we had never seen him before, and so put
him down for New York thief He and
the bundle were examined and a lot of
jewelry, silverware and other stuff found
III his possession. He was locked up in q
cell and man sent TO find out VINO had been
robbed
johnson hadn't been in the cell five min
utes before he said he would like to speak
with the Captain. The latter was on duty
at the desk and told me to bring him in. He
came in looking nervous like and down in
the mouth and stood at the rail without say
ing anything.
1.-THE Captain waited minute and then
said:
"'If you want to say anything, speak up.
| can't wait all night
1.-THE fellow screwed his mouth into grin
and answered:
-" Much obliged, Cap. If confess to you
and show you where the rest of the stolen
stuff is will you and Judge Moore make it
easy for mel OF course you've got me dead
to rights and want to get out of it as easy
as possible.
"The Captain said:
III do all j can and can answer for
Judge Moore. He always lets up on a crook
with light sentence who squeals and gives
the authorities no troble.'
"'All right, said the thief, send two officers
with me and I'll take them to a room where
I've got the stuff pnt away
1.-The Captain assigned me and my partner
to go with him. l was little suspicious at
handcuffed him to myself He didn't mind
it bit, but walked along with us and talked
about how long he'd serve in the penitenti-
airy and of his family, and got so soft alto
gether that we took pity upon him and
treated him to couple of drinks on the
way. We finally rerched the place, which
was high four-story tenement in very
tough neighborhood 1t was very late or
rather very early in the morning and there
was no one stirring. We went into the dark
hall and climbed the steep stairs. 1t was
rather ticklish, tell you, and l had my
hand on my pistol all the way up. He stop
ped us at door ON the third floor. We
openec it, went in and found ourselves in a
room that was half lumber room and half
bedroom 1t was beastly dirty; hadn't
been cleaned, / suppose, in ten years. He
ottlu tHS SJuA was III sulIle LuUiiy DOAto uulcI
broken down bed in the further corner of
room. We two officers didn't like the idea
of getting our clothes ruined. So unfast-
ened the bracelets and told him to get the
property out He grumbled a little and
then began to move away the trunks, bar
rels and boxes that were piled together. He
worked fest and in two minutes had cleared
passage way, under the bed into which he
crawled. All of a sudden he stopped work
ing and supposed he was getting his wind
back. l waited a minute and asked him
what the matter was and got no answer.
We were puzzled and began to be afraid he
had tainted, After another minute or two
we began to clear away the heavy rubbish
ourselves and finally succeeded in moving
the bed out from the wall. There was no
one there, but there was a small trap door
through the floor into the room below, by
which he had escaped after filling his pockets
with the contents of an empty valise we
found beneath the bed. Wenever laid hands
upon him again, but got the story back in
side of week from some New York officer
who heard it from one of Johnson's pals"
w. 4. s. FALEs.